An elderly man died and a woman was seriously injured when she was attacked by a small pack of dogs, officials said.
San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said at a news conference Friday that two other people were bitten — one on the arm and the other, a city fire department captain, on the leg. Both are expected to recover.
As of late Friday, San Antonio police had arrested one person in connection with the attack.
The identity of the person killed has not been released publicly. Police said he was 81 years old and the seriously injured woman was 74 years old. The city called him its partner in a statement.
The couple had gone to visit relatives and left in a vehicle shortly before 2 pm. The city said that was when at least two dogs broke down a gate on the property where they were being kept and were attacked.
Hood said city firefighters first arrived at the scene to see a bloodied man cowering in a corner. He said first responders drove the dogs away with spades and pike poles.
“This is not something common for us,” said the chief. “We generally don’t show up and protect patients from animals.”
Hood said the man was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The woman was also admitted to the hospital and is conscious and in critical condition.
Police said suspect Christian Alexander Moreno, 31, is charged with possession of the dog involved in the fatal attack and wounding the elderly.
The three dogs involved in the attack or who were off the property at the time will be euthanized, the city said in a statement. The dogs were described as American Staffordshire Terriers.
The dogs, two females, and one male were quickly placed in the custody of Shannon Sims, director of animal care services, at San Antonio Animal Care Services.
Sims said Animal Care Services employees seized all the dogs at a property believed to be home to three terriers. One of the three did not appear to be involved in the incident, but was apprehended, he said.
Sims said that in 2021, dogs from the same residence were seized by Animal Care Services after a “fight” that noted minor bites. The dogs were quarantined but then released as the case was not possible without witness affidavits.
He said that during the past two years, dogs from the same residence have been the subject of reports of aggressive dog behavior on the loose.
The city said an additional confirmed case of at least two dog bites believed to be responsible for Friday’s attack was reported in January.
Hood called the incident “terrible” and said firefighters took responsibility to protect neighbors and themselves from the dogs.
“The firefighters were very heroic in this instance,” he said.